List of Jamaican Patois words of African origin

The List of African words in Jamaican Patois notes down as many loan words in Jamaican Patois that can be traced back to specific African languages. Most of these African words have arrived in Jamaica through the enslaved Africans that were transported there in the era of the Atlantic slave trade. The majority of Africans that survived slavery were in Jamaica were of Akan descent, thus most the loan words were from Akan words[1]

Patwa Language Original word Description
Accompong Akan Acheampong (or Akropong) Ashanti surname, which means destined for greatness. "Akropong" comes from the conjugation of the Akan words "kro" and "pɔn" meaning "Great City."
Ackee, akee Akan Ánkyẽ "a type of food/fruit", "cashew fruits"[2]
Adopi Akan Adópé Ghost, often written in Jamaican English as "duppy"[3]
Adrue Akan, Ewe Adúru, adrú "powder, medicine, drug"[3]
Afasia, afasayah Akan, Ewe Afaséw, afaséɛ "inferior wild yam"[3]
Afu Akan Afúw "yam" or "plantation"[4]
Ahpetti Akan O-peyi A certain amulet[5]
Akam Akan A wild and inferior yam
Anansi Akan, Ewe Anansi "Spider"[6] also name Akan folktale character.
Adru Akan a medica herb
Bafan Akan Bɔfran a baby or toddler. A child that did not learn to walk between ages two and seven.[7]
Broni Akan Oburoni a white person[7]
Casha Akan, English Kasɛ́, acacia "thorn"[8]
Dookunu Akan (Asante Twi) Dɔkono (also known as blue draws or tire leaf in Jamaica) food, a dessert item similar to bread pudding.[9]
Dopi, dupi Akan Dupon (odom tree root) "ghost"
Doti Akan "ground"[10]
Cocobay Akan Kokobé "leprosy"[6][11]
Foo-fool Akan (Ashanti Twi) Ɛfooh Foolish or inferior
Gyinal Akan (Ashanti Twi) Gyinaa Someone that is not taken seriously, a stupid person. A con-man (in Jamaica only)
Kaba-kaba Akan, Yoruba, Ewe "unreliable, inferior, worthless"[12]
Kongkos Akan "gossip"[6]
Mumu Akan, Ewe, Mende, Yoruba "dumb", "stupid"[6][13]
Nana Akan "grandparent"[14]
Odum Akan a type of tree[15]
Obeah Akan (Ashanti Twi) Ɔbayi "witchcraft"[16]
Igbo ọbiạ "doctoring", "mysticism"[17]
Opete Akan "vulture"[7]
Paki Akan apakyi calabash[18]
Patu Akan "owl"[7]
Poto-poto Akan, Igbo, Kongo and Yorubo "mud", "muddy"[6]
Red-eye Akan ani bere envy
Se Akan, Igbo, English Se, si, say that[19]
Backra Efik Mbakára "white man"[6][20]
Juk Fula Jukka "poke", "spur"[21][22]
Akara Igbo, Akan, Yoruba àkàrà Type of food[23]
Attoo Igbo átú "chewing stick"[24]
Big-eye Igbo via Gullah anya ukwu "greedy"[25][26][27]
Breechee Igbo Mbùríchì Nri-Igbo nobleman[28]
Door-mouth Igbo ọ́nụ́ ụ́zọ̀ (mouth + door) "doorway"[29]
Chink, chinch Igbo chị́nchị̀ 'bedbug'[30]
Country ibo Igbo Ị̀gbò Pluchea odorata or Ptisana purpurascens[31]
De, deh Igbo Dị [with adverbial] "is" (to be)[32][33]
Hard-head Igbo ísí íké (head + hard, strength) 'obstinate[34]
Himba Igbo Mba "yam root", a type of yam, Rajania cordata[35][36]
Okra Igbo ọkwurụ a type of vegetable[6][37]
Red Ibo, Eboe Igbo Ị̀gbò a person with a light skin colour or a mulatto of mixed parentage[38]
Soso Igbo Sọsọ "only"[6][39]
Unu Igbo únù "you (plural)"[40]
Dingki Kongo funeral ceremony[35]
Dundus Kongo ndundu "albino", "white person", "European"[41]
Djumbi Kongo "ghost"[6]
Pinda Kongo "peanut"[6]
Yam Wolof Njam, nyam "eat"[6][42]

References

  1. ↑ Cassidy FG: Multiple etymologies in Jamaican Creole. Am Speech 1966, 41:211-215
  2. ↑ Cassidy & Page (2002:3)
  3. 1 2 3 Cassidy & Page (2002:4)
  4. ↑ Cassidy & Page (2002:5)
  5. ↑ Cassidy & Page (2002:6)
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 McWhorter (2000:77)
  7. 1 2 3 4 Cassidy & Page (2002:20)
  8. ↑ Cassidy & Page (2002:93)
  9. ↑ Cassidy & Page (2002:155)
  10. ↑ Institute of Jamaica (2000:42)
  11. ↑ Cassidy & Page (2002:112)
  12. ↑ Allsopp & Allsopp (2003:323)
  13. ↑ Mittelsdorf (1978:34)
  14. ↑ Cassidy & Page (2002:315)
  15. ↑ Cassidy & Page (2002:328)
  16. ↑ Williams, Joseph John. Voodoos and Obeahs: Phases of West India Witchcraft. Library of Alexandria. p. 90. ISBN 9781465516954.
  17. ↑ Eltis & Richardson (1997:88)
  18. ↑ Cassidy & Page (2002:335)
  19. ↑ Menz (2008:12)
  20. ↑ Cassidy & Page (2002:18)
  21. ↑ Cassidy & Page (2002:153)
  22. ↑ Watson (1991:10)
  23. ↑ Cassidy & Page (2002:4)
  24. ↑ Cassidy & Page (2002:14)
  25. ↑ Cassidy & Page (2002:41)
  26. ↑ Holloway (2005:94)
  27. ↑ Bartens (2003:150)
  28. ↑ Cassidy & Page (2002:68)
  29. ↑ Allsopp & Allsopp (2003:200)
  30. ↑ Allsopp & Allsopp (2003:152)
  31. ↑ Cassidy & Page (2002:124)
  32. ↑ McWhorter (2000:128)
  33. ↑ Rickford, Romaine & Sato (1999:137)
  34. ↑ Allsopp & Allsopp (2003:284)
  35. 1 2 Graddol, Leith & Swann (1996:210)
  36. ↑ Lewis (1996:24)
  37. ↑ Eltis & Richardson (1997:88)
  38. ↑ Cassidy & Page (2002:378)
  39. ↑ Huber & Parkvall (1999:47)
  40. ↑ Cassidy & Page (2002:457)
  41. ↑ Cassidy & Page (2002:112)
  42. ↑ Sheller (2003:219)

Bibliography

  • McWhorter, John H. (2000). The Missing Spanish Creoles: Recovering the Birth of Plantation Contact Languages. University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-21999-6.
  • Graddol, David; Leith, Dick; Swann, Joan (1996). English: history, diversity, and change. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-13117-0.
  • Bartens, Ángela (2003). A contrastive grammar: Islander - Caribbean Standard English - Spanish. Finnish Academy of Science and Letters. ISBN 951-41-0940-6.
  • Allsopp, Richard; Allsopp, Jeannette (2003). Dictionary of Caribbean English Usage. University of the West Indies Press. ISBN 9766401454.
  • Institute of Jamaica (2000). "Jamaica journal". 27—28. Institute of Jamaica.
  • Cassidy, Frederic Gomes; Page, Robert Brock Le (2002). A Dictionary of Jamaican English (2nd ed.). University of the West Indies Press. ISBN 976-640-127-6.
  • Mittelsdorf, Sibylle (1978). African retentions in Jamaican Creole: a reassessment. Northwestern University.
  • Menz, Jessica (2008). London Jamaican-Jamaican Creole in London. GRIN Verlag. ISBN 3-638-94849-8.
  • Watson, G. Llewellyn (1991). Jamaican sayings: with notes on folklore, aesthetics, and social control. University Press of Florida. ISBN 0-8130-1053-5.
  • Holloway, Joseph E. (2005). Africanisms in American culture. Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-21749-0.
  • Rickford, John R.; Romaine, Suzanne; Sato, Charlene J. (1999). Creole genesis, attitudes and discourse: studies celebrating Charlene J. Sato. John Benjamins Publishing Company. ISBN 90-272-5242-4.
  • Lewis, Maureen Warner (1996). African continuities in the linguistic heritage of Jamaica. African Caribbean Institute of Jamaica.
  • Eltis, David; Richardson, David (1997). Routes to slavery: direction, ethnicity, and mortality in the transatlantic slave trade. Routledge. ISBN 0-7146-4820-5.
  • Huber, Magnus; Parkvall, Mikael (1999). Spreading the word: the issue of diffusion among the Atlantic Creoles. University of Westminster Press. ISBN 1-85919-093-6.
  • Sheller, Mimi (2003). Consuming the Caribbean: from Arawaks to zombies. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-25760-3.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.